Tanis Browning-Shelp
I don’t usually inject myself into my Art Beat stories. They feature artists, their work, and art events. But here I am! This is because our Editor pitched the idea of me participating in our community’s longest-running art program to share my experience with readers of The Mainstreeter. I accepted the assignment-running to the Brantwood Park Fieldhouse on January 22 for my firstever figure drawing workshop in minus 20-degree weather – where I arrived on time and breathless, mostly with anticipation.
The Community Activities Group (CAG)’s Figure Drawing program offers a workshop on Wednesdays from 10:00 am to 1:00 pm for artists to practise their figure-drawing skills. Program participant Dianne Breton organizes the model each week while CAG program manager Ashley Boyle works on site to provide support. Models pose in the natural form, sometimes clothed. Participants work in the medium of their choice and provide their own materials. There is no instructor. The blurb on CAG’s website states: “Learning is in the doing and the sharing among participants.” Beginners, as well as experienced artists, are welcome.
“What is unique about this program is that we usually have only one pose for the entire three-hour session,” Breton explains. Breton also keeps track of the models’ stretch breaks and comfort. The artists can do different drawings or paintings during that time period, or they can spend the whole time working on one piece.”
Ingela Stromberg (left) and Catherine Green concentrate as they work on their paintings at CAG’s popular and long-running Figure Drawing program. The Mainstreeter assigned Art Beat editor Tanis Browning-Shelp to try her hand in January, and she recommends it! Photo by Tanis Browning-Shelp
Several of the participants have been involved in the program (which is also known as Life Drawing) for decades and reminisce about some of its past venues including the Mainworks Artists Collective on the corner of Main and Graham streets, The School of Dance on Crichton Street, the United Church Manse on MacKay Street, Old Town Hall, and, currently, the Brantwood Park Fieldhouse. I spoke with each of the participants during the three-hour workshop.
Catherine Green paints with acrylics during the session. This is her second year doing the workshop. “Using acrylics is an experiment inspired by some of the other participants,” she says. “I usually work with pastels or charcoal.” Green shows me a huge sketchbook filled with drawings. “Art has been a life-long pursuit of mine. I am simply following an urge.”
Ingela Stromberg brings oil paints to the sessions. “I see the workshops as practice. I set up the paintings at home afterwards and look at them, thinking about their proportions. I may paint over them the very next week. I enjoy the comradery and supportiveness of the group; it means a lot to all of us.”
Paul Schibli also paints in oils and says that he’s been coming to the workshops “forever.” He worked in animated films – both drawing and directing – most notably for the Canadian series, The Raccoons. “I have worked in conte, pastels, and water colour,” he says. “This workshop trains the eye. It is a real challenge for me since I usually paint landscapes and florals. But life drawing is foundational. When I hired animators, I would always ask to see their life drawings.”
Dan Edward is new to the program. “I am also new to drawing,” he says. “I am studying and practising rigorously to learn to speak well through art. I believe that if you have a message, and if you want it to be taken in by people, it has to be beautiful. You have to respect the principles of art that unite all good pieces. You need the tools to communicate.”
Larissa Satta calls herself a “newbie.” This is her third session. “Just having the chance to practise drawing is awesome,” she says. “I have put it off since being at Canterbury high school. I now have school-aged kids and miss using this part of my brain. I always knew I’d come back to art. I love it. This is the best part of my week!”
Greg Rokosh has practised art since he was 16 when he met a man doing portraits at The Bay in Calgary. “I’d been copying cartoons as a kid but had no discipline,” he says. “I asked the man if he would teach me. He agreed to let me watch. His name was Richard (Dick) van den Hoogen and he drew for Disney. I worked for an oil company for many years and engaged in sports. Now that I’ve gotten that out of my system, I am finally here doing portraits!”
John Jarrett, the long-time leader of the group, makes coffee for everyone and points out that socializing during the mid-point break is an important part of the program too. “I’ve always done life drawing,” he says. “It is the foundation of art.”
Bob Neufeld completes his portrait of model ‘D’. Photo by Tanis Browning-Shelp
Bob Neufeld has been coming for two years. “I was doing acrylic landscapes, but my neighbour Steve Fick suggested I further challenge myself,” he says. “There is a lot of skill involved in doing figure drawing. I am an ex-primary school teacher, so I did lots of murals in bright colours over the years. I was self-taught and loved to express myself that way. I couldn’t imagine doing this years ago.”
Dianne Breton says that she loses herself in the work. She points out that a few other regulars are absent from the workshop—sculptor Michael Fitzpatrick, art instructor Sally Bender, and Ruby Isaacs. Breton also mentions the session’s model ‘D’ who “…always comes with a different persona!”
D has been modelling on and off for more than 15 years. She studied fine arts and engages in painting, sculpture, theatre, and film. Since it was the week of Donald Trump’s inauguration, she dressed on a patriotic/political theme. “I chose dark colours to represent death and red to represent resistance,” she says.
From my vantage point, I could not see the Canadian flag perched behind D’s right ear or the huge red feather at the back of her hat. D does yoga regularly to support her modelling stances and she has ballet training which she says teaches you how to pose.
Portrait artist Sarah Lacy hires models for her own life drawing classes. “The models need to know their own bodies and what poses they can hold,” she stresses. “Even five minutes can be too long if you have a pinch in your neck. They have tricks for transferring weight imperceptibly while holding a standing pose.”
Another professional life model who works for the program, Jessica Ruano, talks about the “performative aspect” of modelling. Ruano has an M.A. in Theatre from the University of Ottawa and has worked extensively in the performing arts, including as a theatre director and writer. She began life modelling 10 years ago and says that some of the most interesting life models have a complex inner life. “When I am sitting with a pose for an hour or longer, I am usually silent, but I am still thinking. The experience is emotional.”
ABOVE LEFT: The life drawing model known as ‘D’ posed for the recent life drawing session at Brantwood Park attended by Art Beat editor Tanis Browning-Shelp. ABOVE RIGHT: The charcoal sketch of model ‘D’ that Tanis produced during her first-ever figure drawing workshop. Photo/Sketch by Tanis Browning-Shelp
Lacy underlines that models are very interested in the creative process. “They are telling their own stories with their bodies,” she explains. “A person is not just a collection of shapes. A person has an internal world, and they are engaging every single part of their body. They are listening and energetically present. Their character inspires what the artist is making. They care about the process of making art and consider themselves a vital and integral part of that process.”
Program manager Boyle says that the Figure Drawing group “makes” her Wednesday mornings. “They are such a great group,” she says. “And the models are all so unique. I’ve watched a cowboy walk out of that change room. You never really know what you’re going to get!”
Besides the warm welcome of the participants and the attractive venue filled with natural light, the aspects I appreciated most during my time with the group were the peace and quiet, the absolute focus of every artist, and the creative energy in the room.
Much like participant Larissa Satta, I haven’t done much drawing since high school. As a writer, I have great respect for people who intentionally carve out time to practise their art. Through the gift of attending this workshop, I also learned about the models who make the workshops engaging and inspiring. I wholeheartedly recommend the program.
CAG’s Figure Drawing program held at Brantwood Park on Wednesday mornings is the longest-running art program in OOE. To register for Figure Drawing, go to: https://www.ottawaeastcag.org.
Author Tanis Browning-Shelp (http://www.browning-shelp.com) pens her Maryn O’Brien Young Adult Fiction series, published by Dog-Eared Books, from her home in Old Ottawa East. Contact tanis@browning-shelp.com if you have information about artists or art events that you believe would enrich our community members’ lives.
